The U.S. Army says 12 people have been killed and 31 wounded in a shooting rampage on the Fort Hood Army base in Texas. Lt. Gen Bob Cone said at a news conference that one shooter has been killed and two suspects were apprehended on Thursday. He says they are all U.S. soldiers.
The shooting began around 1:30 p.m. Cone says that all the casualties took place at the base's Soldier Readiness Center where soldiers who are about to be deployed or who are returning undergo medical screening.
He says the primary shooter used two handguns in the attack.
6:20 PM ET -- The latest from AP.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the president is being kept updated as details about the shooting emerge.
Gibbs said he told Obama about TV news reports that seven people were dead at the Texas military location and others were injured. Gibbs said he informed Obama based on broadcast reports and the president is being kept up to date through the White House Situation Room.The Web site of the base in central Texas has posted an alert that says, "Effective immediately Fort Hood is closed." The Web site said that units at the base have been ordered to account for all personnel.
The site says, "This is not a Drill. It is an Emergency Situation."
Story continues belowFort Hood is located halfway between Austin and Waco.
On the Fort Hood Web site, the word "closed" is posted with the statement, "Effective immediately, Fort Hood is closed. Organizations / units are instructed to execute a 100 percent accountability of all personnel."
Fort Hood was asking people on post to stay away from windows, CNN affiliate KXXV said. The incident took place at the sports dome, now known as the soldier readiness area, the station reported.
FBI agents are headed to the scene to assist, said Erik Vasys, spokesman for the FBI office in San Antonio. He had no other details.
The military installation is located near Killeen, Texas. It is the Army's largest installation, Honore said.
6:07 PM ET -- Shooting suspect is Army mental health specialist. CBS reports that suspected Ft. Hood shooter Maj. Hasan was a licensed psychiatrist from Maryland. According to the AP, a defense official said Hasan was a mental health professional -- either an Army psychologist or psychiatrist. It's not known if he was treating people at the post.
6:06 PM ET -- Obama speaks with Fort Hood Commanding General, ABC's Jake Tapper reports.
5:40 PM ET -- Fort Hood the site of earlier massacre. "It's worth noting that Fort Hood is located in Killeen, Texas, home to the deadliest shooting rampage in modern US history until the Virginia tech Massacre: The Luby's Massacre. On October 16, 1991, George Jo Hennard, 35, drove his pickup truck through the window of a Luby's Cafeteria. Armed with with a Glock 17 and a Ruger P-89, Hennard killed 23 people, wounded 20 others, then shot himself."
5:19 PM ET -- Shooting suspect identified as Major Malik Nadal Hasan. He was killed and two other suspects have been apprehended, Lt. Robert W. Cone said.
More details from ABC News:
The gunman used two handguns, Cone said. He wasn't sure if the shooter reloaded the weapons during the attack.
The general called the attack "a terrible tragedy, stunning." He said the community was "absolutely devastated."The extent of the injuries of victims "varies significantly," according to Cone.
5:03 PM ET -- President Obama: "Horrific outburst of violence." President Obama spoke about the shootings at Fort Hood and cut short a previously scheduled speech at a conference on National American issues.
Obama said he and his administration were receiving regular updates, and that "What we do know is that a number of American soldiers have been killed and even more have been wounded in a horrific outburst of violence." He vowed that federal resources would be made available for an investigation into the shootings and to aid families and personnel.
4:55 PM ET -- Via the AP:
The first shooting began at about 1:30 p.m. at a personnel and medical processing office, Army spokesman Lt. Col. Nathan Banks said. The facility, called a Soldier Rating and Processing center, handles administrative details for soldiers.
Banks says the second shooting took place at a theater on the sprawling base.
Sgt. Rebekah Lampam, a spokeswoman at Fort Hood, said it was not known whether the shooters were soldiers or civilians.
An Army spokesman said the base was locked down after the shootings.
Covering 339 square miles, Fort Hood is the largest active duty armored post in the United States. Home to about 52,000 troops as of earlier this year, the sprawling base is located halfway between Austin and Waco.
At the Soldier Readiness Center, soldiers who are about to be deployed or who are returning undergo medical screening - on average about 300-400 screened a day, Lampam said.
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Lampam said a graduation ceremony for soldiers who finished college courses while deployed was going on in the auditorium at the time of the shooting.
The White House said President Barack Obama was notified of the shootings.
The base is home to nine schools - seven elementary schools and two middle schools - and all were on lockdown, said Killeen school spokesman Todd Martin.
Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Tela Mange said Texas Rangers and state troopers were en route to Fort Hood to help seal the perimeter of the 108,000 acre base.
Fort Hood officially opened on Sept. 18, 1942, and was named in honor of Gen. John Bell Hood. It has been continuously used for armored training and is charged with maintaining readiness for combat missions.
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Local TV station KXXV reports:
We've learned an incident has taken place at the sports dome, now known as the soldier readiness area.... Temple ISD Schools Have Been locked down as part of this incident. The district's spokeswoman tells News Channel 25 the district is on soft lockdown.
MSNBC is reporting that one suspect is in custody, and one is still on the loose. Additional reports have come in that a second suspect is on the loose on the military base, but that has not been confirmed at this time. According to reports, the suspects were in military uniform. More details from MSNBC:
The official would not give [the suspect's] name nor additional details. It was unknown whether victims are soldiers or civilians. One gunman was reportedly in custody and another was on the loose, NBC News said. A third shooter may be involved, according to NBC News affiliate KCEN, which said the person had opened fire on the SWAT team at the base.
The Fort Hood military base is huge -- home to 4,929 active duty officers, 45,414 enlisted and nearly 9,000 civilian employees. The early word from MSNBC is that this is all military, and no civilians were involved. But that has not been confirmed.
The shootings began minutes before a graduation ceremony was to begin, honoring soldiers who had obtained degrees from extension schools. President Obama has been informed of the shootings.
